A busy Saturday, here and there
The $6 million Dubai World Cup, the world’s richest race, highlights a mind-boggling $21 million card Saturday at Nad Al Sheba in Dubai, but 3-year-olds prepping for the Kentucky Derby will merit plenty of attention this weekend, too.
A key race on the World Cup undercard will be the $2 million UAE Derby featuring Desert Party. Barring the unforeseen, Desert Party is coming to the United States for the Kentucky Derby. At U.S. tracks, the Florida Derby at Gulfstream and the Sunland Derby at Sunland Park will take center stage.
This will be the final World Cup at Nad Al Sheba, which will be replaced for 2010 by a new Meydan course at a cost of $1.25 billion. Nad Al Sheba is a spectacular facility, but Meydan will take international horse racing to a new level. Nothing but the best for the sheiks and their equine guests.
The $750,000 Florida Derby is perceived to be a two-horse race between Dunkirk and Quality Road, but the field might be deeper than that. Dunkirk is the 9-5 favorite despite never having run in a stakes. The Todd Pletcher colt has no graded earnings, so he must win to guarantee entry to the Kentucky Derby.
Quality Road should be the favorite. His Fountain of Youth win was a bravura performance. Pletcher has entered Europe as a rabbit to try to disturb Quality Road. I think hiding 20 pounds of lead in Quality Road’s saddle might be more effective.
Theregoesjojo ran a distant second to Quality Road in the Fountain of Youth, and I can see that happening again.
The Sunland Derby is ungraded but offers a rich $800,000 purse. It’s a well-matched dozen, and I suggest not settling for a short price. Trainer Bob Baffert has an uncoupled entry in favorite Mayor Marv and the colt I like, Mythical Power. Rarely can you get Baffert and jockey Garrett Gomez at 10-1 odds.
• HORSEPLAYER PRO ALERTS — I keep tabs on other horse selectors and tip my cap when it’s deserved. Horseplayer Pro Alerts had two extraordinary wins in recent Kentucky Derby prep races.
Kudos to Joe Kristufek, who tabbed Win Willy (56-1) in the Rebel and Terry Turrell, who gave out a cold $2 exacta in the Lane’s End of Hold Me Back (9-1) and Flying Private (24-1) that paid $586.80.
• TOURNAMENTS — Two big-money handicapping tournaments are on the Las Vegas horizon. The South Point Finale will be April 17 and 18 and Pick the Ponies will be from April 29 to May 1 at the Las Vegas Hilton Superbook.
Richard Eng’s horse racing column is published Friday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He can be reached at rich_eng@hotmail.com.